Antilles iGaming License: What Operators Actually Need to Know

Curacao started licensing online gambling operators in 1996. That makes the Antilles iGaming license one of the oldest offshore frameworks in existence, which is either reassuring or a red flag depending on what you’re building and where.

The term itself is a hangover from the Netherlands Antilles the Caribbean island group that dissolved as a political entity in 2010 but whose gambling ordinance kept running until December 2024. Everything the industry called an Antilles iGaming license was actually a Curacao sublicense, issued under the National Ordinance on Offshore Games of Hazard, the NOOGH. Four private master licensees issued those sublicenses. The government mostly stayed out of it.

That structure is gone now. The NOOGH was replaced by new legislation on December 24, 2024, and operators who were slow to act found their licenses in jeopardy. What follows is a plain account of how the old system worked, what replaced it, and what the current framework actually costs.

Who ran the Antilles iGaming license system

The NOOGH handed master licenses to four companies, and those companies did the actual licensing work. Not the government. The companies.

The four were Antillephone N.V. (8048/JAZ), Cyberluck Curacao N.V. operating as Curacao eGaming (1668/JAZ), Gaming Curacao (365/JAZ), and Curacao Interactive Licensing N.V. (5536/JAZ). By the time the NOOGH ended, Antillephone and Cyberluck were the only two still actively issuing sublicenses.

One thing worth knowing about those license numbers: every operator sublicensed under Antillephone showed 8048/JAZ on their site. Same number for all of them. You couldn’t tell one operator apart from another by the reference alone. That was always one of the system’s more obvious weaknesses.

Antillephone had the best track record of the four. It was the first master licensee to approve crypto payments on licensed platforms, and it actually enforced its complaints process when players raised issues. The others were less consistent. If you’re reviewing an older operator and seeing an 8048/JAZ reference in their documentation, that at least tells you they chose the more rigorous master licensee.

What the old application process involved

The application wasn’t heavy. Register a company in Curacao, show KYC and AML compliance, identify your Ultimate Beneficial Owners, describe your games and platforms. A server in Curacao was required eCommerce Park, ideally. If your games used randomized outcomes, you needed a certified RNG. No RNG certificate, no licence. That’s the sequence.

Turnaround was roughly four weeks if your documentation was complete on submission. The main ongoing cost was ANG 10,000 per month during the first two years call it EUR 5,000. For operators targeting markets in Latin America, Africa, or parts of Asia where local licensing was either nonexistent or not commercially viable, that cost-to-speed ratio made this the default choice.

The territory restrictions were where operators got themselves into trouble. Players from the Netherlands, France, the United States, and the Netherlands Antilles itself were excluded. Antillephone enforced this. Operators who quietly served those markets did get their sublicenses pulled.

December 2024: the Antilles iGaming license structure ends

The replacement law the LOK, or Landsverordening op de kansspelen came into force on December 24, 2024. The sublicense model ended with the NOOGH. No more master licensees. No more sublicenses. Every operator now needs a direct license from the Curacao Gaming Authority, the CGA, which the LOK formally empowered as the sole regulator.

An operator carrying only an old Antillephone or Cyberluck number today, without a current CGA registration, is not licensed under Curacao law. The sublicense number is a historical reference. Nothing more.

Operators who held NOOGH sublicenses got a transition window. Applications submitted before December 24, 2024 were processed under the old rules. Everything from that date forward runs under the LOK. Transitional licensees had until around mid-2025 to complete the move to full LOK compliance. Those who didn’t, had their licenses revoked. Some did.

The new cost base for Curacao operators

The jump in cost is not subtle.

Under the NOOGH sublicense structure: roughly EUR 5,000 per month for the first two years. Under the LOK, the annual base fee for a B2C operator license is EUR 47,450 a license fee of EUR 24,490 plus a supervisory fee of EUR 22,960. On top of that, there’s a one-time application fee of EUR 4,592 and due diligence fees of EUR 130 to EUR 260 per person. Add company formation and professional advice and most operators should plan for EUR 30,000 to EUR 60,000 in year one, depending on how complicated the corporate structure is.

The CGA introduced provisional licensing as part of the LOK you can start operating before completing the full compliance process. The provisional license runs up to six months, extendable by another six. That partially offsets the increased cost for operators who need market access quickly.

Corporate tax is 2% of net profit. No VAT on gaming revenue. That hasn’t changed under the LOK.

What the LOK requires that the old Antilles iGaming license didn’t

This is where the compliance load is genuinely different and where some operators underprepared.

Under the NOOGH, a registered entity in Curacao was sufficient. The LOK requires a legal entity incorporated under Curacao law with its statutory seat on the island, at least one resident managing director, and a minimum of three permanent employees based there. Not nominal hires. Actual staff, working locally.

The CGA conducts direct AML/CFT supervision. Under the old Antilles iGaming license model, that sat with the master licensees, and enforcement varied considerably depending on which one you were under. The CGA also maintains a public license register.

You can check any operator’s current status directly at the Curacao Gaming Authority’s license register. If a site claims a Curacao license and doesn’t appear there, it doesn’t have one.

Who should still consider Curacao, and who shouldn’t

One license covers everything: casino, sports betting, poker, lotteries, eSports. You don’t need separate permits for separate product types. That’s genuinely useful for operators running mixed platforms. Payment processors and affiliate networks recognize the Curacao license widely, which reduces friction in commercial negotiations.

The market access limitations haven’t shifted. UK, Germany, France, United States, Australia, Netherlands you can’t serve those players on a Curacao license. If any of those markets are where your volume is, this isn’t the license you need. You’ll need local authorization regardless.

Curacao works best for operators targeting markets in Latin America, Africa, and parts of Southeast Asia where no local license exists or isn’t commercially proportionate. It also works as an interim license while a longer tier-one application is in progress.

The operators who struggled most through the NOOGH-to-LOK transition were the ones who left local company setup, resident directors, and banking arrangements until late 2024. Those things take time. Starting early on the structural requirements isn’t a suggestion it’s the difference between a smooth transition and a gap in your licensing.

If you’re also looking at Antigua as an alternative it carries UK whitelist status, which Curacao doesn’t the full breakdown is in our Antigua iGaming regulation guide. The two jurisdictions attract overlapping operator profiles but the compliance obligations differ in ways that matter.

FAQ: Antilles iGaming license

What is the Antilles iGaming license?

A sublicense issued under Curacao’s NOOGH framework by one of four master licensees. The NOOGH ended December 24, 2024. The system doesn’t operate anymore.

Does an old sublicense number still mean anything?

Only as a historical record. Today, an Antillephone or Cyberluck sublicense number is not valid authorization under current Curacao law unless it appears with current CGA registration.

How much does a Curacao license cost now?

Base annual fee: EUR 47,450 for a B2C operator (EUR 24,490 license fee + EUR 22,960 supervisory fee). Plus a one-time application fee of EUR 4,592. First-year total including setup typically runs EUR 30,000 to EUR 60,000.

Do I need to actually be in Curacao?

Under the LOK, yes. In practice, you need a statutory seat in Curacao, a resident managing director, and at least three employees on the island. Without that local structure, a foreign entity can’t apply.

Which markets are excluded under a Curacao license?

Netherlands, France, United States, Australia, UK, and FATF-blacklisted territories. Your payment processors may add their own restricted markets on top of that.

How do I verify an operator’s current license status?

Check the CGA’s public register at cga.cw. An operator not appearing there is not currently licensed, regardless of what number they display on their site.

Is Curacao a good starting license for new operators?

For operators outside the main regulated European markets, yes. In particular, Curacao offers fast provisional licensing, all verticals under one approval, and 2% corporate tax. However, the ceiling is tier-one market access, because you won’t reach UK, German, or Dutch players on this license alone.